Squall lines from Hurricane Michael lash Orlando area

Michael hits Florida Panhandle with 150-plus mph winds

ORLANDO, Fla.Hurricane Michael, packing 150 mph winds, struck the Florida Panhandle Wednesday afternoon, with the massive storm's outer bands drenching the Orlando area a short time later.

Michael, a Category 4 storm, will trek through Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas, which were recently rocked by Hurricane Florence.

The Panhandle will see a storm surge of up to 14 feet and more than 10 inches of rain, along with very strong winds.

Central Florida, on average, will see 2 to 3 inches of rain from Michael, which was about 500 miles wide.

"There could be some isolated pockets of more rain," News 6 meteorologist Troy Bridges said. "We will also have gusty winds up to 30 mph at times."

Marion County could see winds greater than 35 mph.

"Because we are on what’s called the 'dirty side' of the storm, which is the upper right portion, there is the chance for a few isolated tornadoes," Bridges said.

A tornado watch has been issued for Marion and Flagler counties until 2 a.m. Thursday.

The Orlando area on Wednesday and Thursday can expect a 60 percent coverage of showers and embedded thunderstorms, with squall lines passing through the region.

The high will be near 90 degrees. The average high on this date is 86.

"Rain chances are much lower Friday and Saturday as the system pulls away from Central Florida," Bridges said. 

There's a 20 percent chance of rain Friday, a 10 percent chance on Saturday and a 30 percent chance on Sunday.

Highs will be in the upper 80s over the weekend in the Orlando area.

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Elsewhere in the tropics, Tropical Storm Nadine and Hurricane Leslie continue to spin in the Atlantic.

As of Wednesday, Nadine was 485 miles west-southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands and was moving north-northwest at 7 mph with winds of 50 mph.

Computer models vary on the path of Nadine, but the storm is not a current threat to any land mass.

Hurricane Leslie, meanwhile, was 1,105 miles west-southwest of The Azores, with wind speeds of 75 mph.

Models show Leslie moving east before dipping south before reaching the Canary Islands.

Leslie is not a threat to the United States.

Watch News 6 for weather updates.

 


About the Authors:

Daniel started with WKMG-TV in 2000 and became the digital content manager in 2009. When he's not working on ClickOrlando.com, Daniel likes to head to the beach or find a sporting event nearby.

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